It Will Be a Cold Day In Hell Before Raphael Assuncao Gets a Title Shot

Brazilian stalwart Raphael Assuncao has done the work and put in the time, and in 13 appearances in the Octagon, has only lost twice. He’s also gone 1-1 against bantamweight champ TJ Dillashaw. But it will be a cold day in hell before Assuncao ever gets a title shot.

This is the sad truth, and it stems from the fact that… well… the dude simply isn’t popular enough.

Assuncao knows this. He knows that he, above just about everyone else, deserves a crack at Dillashaw’s belt, and that he won’t get it because the general public has no clue who he is.

“I don’t know any other reason I shouldn’t be the next guy, unless they go by Twitter followers,” Assuncao told MMA Fighting. “If they go by Twitter followers, then I probably won’t be that guy. And I can cry about it but that’s the truth, right? There’s nothing more I can do about it other than campaign and try to be a truthful guy. If they go by who has the most Twitter followers and Instagram followers, then I probably won’t be that guy. But if they go by the most deserving, the most consistent, and one of the best fighters in the division, I’ll be that guy. I’d definitely be that guy.

“I’ve never missed weight. I’m the most consistent guy in this division, probably up there with T.J., because T.J. is a pretty consistent champion,” Assuncao added. “I think he’s one of the most consistent guys out there. Other than myself and T.J., there’s no other fighter in there who’s as consistent as we are.”

Let’s conduct a little science experiment. Let’s keep track of how many times his name is inserted into the conversation when it comes to the UFC drumming up interest in finding a suitable opponent for Dillashaw.